5 Reasons Why Listening Is Important

“To appear wise, one must talk; to be wise, one must listen.” Listening is one of the key things in any conversation. We not only make the other person happy about being heard, we also gain immense knowledge. Like Lymen Steil once said, “When we talk we learn what we already know, when we listen, we have a chance to learn something new.” Here are a few more reasons why listening is important.

1. Enhances cooperation

Everyone likes to have a say in things. If you listen to people, they will feel valued and as a direct result, respect you. Due to the respect that builds up, cooperation between two people increases.

2. Easy to make decisions

Can you tame a lion? Of course not. You don’t know how to. So you can’t decide on how to tame the animal without the knowledge required. And knowledge is acquired through listening.

3. Errors can be avoided

How often have you heard someone say, in frustration, “I told him that, but he did not listen”? When you have the required information you will be able to take proper decisions, and thus avoid mistakes and errors. Errors will just add to your woes and if the universe is conspiring against you then, well, you never know. So why be on the wrong side? Just listen and become wiser.